Cart
0
$0.00
FREE EVENT
Get to know the Bendigamos Community of Amsterdam
Tuesday, November 26
USA 12:00 pm PT / 3:00 pm ET
UK 8:00 pm / France 09:00 pm / Israel 10:00 pm
The talk will last approximately 60 minutes
About this talk
The Netherlands, particularly Amsterdam, was once a thriving center of Jewish life. After the Spanish Inquisition and pogroms in Eastern Europe, many Jews found refuge there, living relatively freely. Amsterdam became home to prominent synagogues, Torah schools, influential rabbis, and a rich Jewish heritage that impacted both Jewish and non-Jewish communities.
However, during WWII, 80% of the Jewish population in the Netherlands was murdered, devastating the community. In 2015, Bendigamos was founded to revive Jewish life in Amsterdam. Its mission is to increase Jewish affiliation, preserve Portuguese Jewish traditions, and heal the lingering trauma from the Holocaust.
Through synagogue services and numerous social, cultural, and educational events, Bendigamos now reaches around 2,000 people annually. After nearly 10 years of success, they are ready for the next phase—an ambitious plan to reach ten times as many people and revitalize Dutch Jewry. In this talk, we will take you on a short tour of Bendigamos' journey, revealing the secrets of its success and the spectacular plans for the future.
About Nachshon
Nachshon Rodrigues Pereira is the community leader and Chazzan (Cantor) of the Bendigamos community in Amsterdam. He received his training at the Portuguese Synagogue in Amsterdam, where he served as the official Chazzan and educator for 12 years. His family has been part of the Portuguese Jewish community in the Netherlands for four centuries. After studying political science and a brief political career, he decided to dedicate most of his time to teaching and rebuilding the Jewish community in Amsterdam. Today, he is the JEO (Jewish Executive Officer) of a Jewish retirement home, teaches many bar-mitzvah students, writes for a Jewish news website, and organizes Jewish concerts.